Skip to main content

When Girls Take the Lead on Social Justice: 5 Stories [yesmagazine.org]

 

The Radical Monarchs started when Lupita, a fourth grader, wanted to join a Girl Scouts troop. Her mom thought it was a great idea but was concerned that Lupita, who is Mexican American, would be the only girl of color in the troop. Lupita’s mom asked herself: What would it look like to create a social justice troop that focused on girls of color? She casually mentioned the idea to Lupita—and the budding activist would not let it go, begging her mom to get it started.

Lupita and her mom reached out to classmates and friends, and soon Troop 1 was born, with 12 girls between the ages of 9 and 11, and two grown-up troop leaders. The curriculum is shaped by what the girls want to learn. They’ve camped, hiked, gardened, and visited a Native American sweat lodge. They combine activism and current events with useful, empowering skills. When all the girls got excited about learning how to code, the troop leaders designed a whole unit around it. The Monarchs got to learn the basics of this crucial computer skill, and they even designed and built their own original projects: social justice emojis and an app that lets you take a selfie with a “herstorical” role model. A unit on Radical Entrepreneurship enabled the girls to identify the kinds of products they’d like to make (and sell!), and soon they were making their own body oils and earrings. And a unit on Radical Beauty focused on developing positive body image and self-esteem—messages the girls are actively sharing back at school.

[For more on this story by Kate SchatzMiriam & Klein Stahl, go to http://www.yesmagazine.org/peo...e-5-stories-20180622]

Add Comment

Comments (0)

Post
Copyright © 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×